Contribution of third-harmonic and negative frequency polarization fields to self-phase modulation in nonlinear media

TL;DR

This paper investigates how third-harmonic generation and negative frequency polarization affect self-phase modulation in nonlinear media, revealing enhanced sidebands and new spectral features through theoretical analysis and simulations.

Contribution

It introduces the combined effects of third-harmonic and negative frequency polarization terms in SPM, providing new insights into spectral features in Kerr media.

Findings

THG induces additional symmetric lobes in SPM

Negative frequency Kerr terms greatly enhance sidebands

Theoretical predictions align with UPPE simulations

Abstract

We study the influence of third-harmonic generation (THG) and negative frequency polarization terms in the self-phase modulation (SPM) of short and intense pulses in Kerr media. We find that THG induces additional symmetric lobes in the SPM process. The amplitude of these new sidebands are greatly enhanced by the contributions of the negative frequency Kerr (NFK) term and the shock operator. We compare our theoretical predictions based on the analytical nonlinear phase with simulations carried out by using the full unidirectional pulse propagation equation (UPPE).